Mike Wolfberg's Recipe for Baked Cigar Pastries with Walnut Filling

This is one of several recipes developed by Mike and his late wife, Julie,
for a Concord/Carlisle Massachusetts Newcomers Gourmet Group
dinner which
took place in the first half of the 1970s.

This is an Arab States dish called Boughasha in Arabic.

6 oz. walnuts

4 TBL. sugar

3/4 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 sticks non-salted butter, clarified

filo (or phyllo) pastry sheets

Chop the walnuts (a blender can be used). Mix the walnuts, sugar, and
cinnamon and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350°.

Clarify the butter (Melt over medium heat; remove from the heat and let
it rest for 5 minutes. Skim the white foam off the top and discard.).

Assemble the "cigars": Lay one sheet of filo on a piece of waxed paper.
Brush it evenly with butter. Fold the sheet in half crosswise, making a
two-layered rectangle about 12" long and 8" wide. Brush the top with butter.
Make a 1" wide fold on the closed side of the pastry and brush the fold lightly
with butter. Sprinkle about 2 TBL. of filling in an even row along its length
about 1" from the folded edge. Roll the filo jelly-roll fashion into a tight
cylinder about 1" in diameter. You may find that the waxed paper is helpful
in rolling the filo. Gently transfer the rolls to a baking sheet and
brush the top with butter (do each one as it is finished; otherwise it will
dry out). Assemble the remaining sheets of filo in a similar fashion.

Bake in the middle of the oven for 20-30 minutes or until lightly
browned. WATCH CAREFULLY THAT THEY DO NOT BROWN TOO MUCH.

To serve: heat the "cigars" about 10 minutes in a 325° oven.
Cut each roll into 6 pieces, each about 2" long and arrange on a serving plate.
Pass the syrup separately.

SYRUP for the Boughasha

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups water

1 TBL. fresh lemon juice

1/2 tsp. bottled rose water

Combine sugar, water, and lemon juice in a heavy saucepan. Bring to a boil
over high heat, and boil about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and
add the rose water.